It was almost nine when Woody got the call he’d been expecting. He’d told Stone the end of the week and he’d known it would be done.

‘Come in,’ he called as a soft knock sounded on the door.

He stood as the door opened and offered his hand. ‘Mr Morgan?’

‘Inspector Woodward,’ he said, shaking the hand firmly.

Woody pointed to a chair and sat himself.

Strangely, the man was exactly how he had pictured him. Standing at about five foot six he wore a grey rain mac with a scarf tucked beneath. He had a skirt of hair from ear to ear but was completely bald on top. He had a kindly face with gentle eyes, and Woody liked him immediately.

‘Thank you for agreeing to see Detective Inspector Stone, Mr Morgan.’

‘Ted, please,’ he said. ‘And it really was no bother. Any reason to spend time with her is a joy.’

Woody waited for the sarcastic tilt of the mouth or amusing rejoinder. It didn’t come. The man meant it, and he wasn’t sure he’d met many people who would say that about Kim Stone.

‘Oh yes, I still enjoy the challenge,’ he said, with a smile.

‘And was she?’ Woody asked. ‘Challenging?’

‘You know her well enough to render that question rhetorical.’

‘So, has she ever opened up to you over the years?’ Woody asked, intrigued. Not least because she returned to this man time after time. And she trusted him.

‘Opening up and revealing are two completely different things but that’s not…’

‘Of course,’ Woody said. It had been an idle question born of his own curiosity, and he could understand the man’s refusal to answer, and respected it. ‘Did she explain the reason for the report?’ he asked.

‘Her suitability to return to work.’

‘Partly,’ Woody said. ‘But I was also hoping she would talk to you about Dawson’s death,’ he admitted.

‘Then that was wishful thinking on your part, sir,’ Ted observed, wryly.

‘So, she didn’t open up…’

‘As I’ve already said, opening up and revealing are two totally different things. Losing Dawson was like losing her brother all over again. She takes it upon herself to protect her team as though they’re family, and she doesn’t even realise it. Dawson died, just like her brother, which is purely her failure.’

‘But she couldn’t have prevented…’

‘Play that thought on a loop into her head for the next twenty years and she still won’t accept it, just like she’s never accepted that Mikey’s death wasn’t her fault.

‘You see, she’d allowed the young man into her world. Dawson had become a part of the fabric of her daily life. He was a constant. She knew how he would act, the things he would say. Those constants give her stability. They keep her world safe. She trusts them. Same goes for Stacey, yourself and especially Bryant.’

‘Who almost died today,’ Woody said.

‘God help you if he had, because we’d be having a very different kind of conversation.’

‘How so?’

‘Call me if anything ever happens to Bryant and I’ll let you know, but as long as he’s alive, she’ll be fine. She handles near misses very well.’

‘And your report?’ Woody asked.

‘Aah, well that’s where it gets interesting,’ Ted said, reaching into his pocket. ‘Because I have two,’ he said, holding them both up.

‘Why?’ asked Woody, perplexed. Either Kim was fit to return to work or she wasn’t.

‘One explains why she’s fit for work and one explains why she isn’t. But let me explain. These reasons are not going to change no matter how much counselling you try to force upon her.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Woody admitted.

‘Kim’s a paradox. It’s basically the same reasons in both,’ he said. ‘The reasons she’s not up to the job are the reasons she’s so good at it. Her lack of emotional connection and understanding might appear a shortfall to you but they mean she can often remain more objective and less involved than others. Her ability to box things up and close them away also means she can dispose with nonsense while hanging on to the important stuff. Her inability to play nice with others also means she won’t be easily fooled or led. Her brusqueness and lack of manners discourages people from trying to deceive her. Her directness can be rude but it gets to the truth. Now do you see what I’m saying?’

Woody nodded. ‘I think so.’

‘Imagine a baby born premature. The baby survives but will never catch up. It will always be smaller than average. Look young for its age. That’s the same with Kim but on an emotional level. She never got the chance to grow those higher emotions in the way that we did. It’s like the computer crashed before the whole programme had downloaded.’

‘But surely she can learn—’

Ted cut him off by shaking his head. ‘You know that children have an optimum time for learning certain things but once that door closes it’s gone for ever. I’m afraid that’s likely to be the case with Kim. Her ability to express and feel emotion is as good as it’s going to be.’

Woody found this difficult to accept. ‘I’m sorry, Ted, but…’

‘Please don’t make that mistake with her,’ Ted advised. ‘She’s spent much of her life surrounded by people trying to make her into what they think she should be, force her to behave a certain way based on their perception of her experiences.’

Ted regarded him for a couple of seconds, weighing something up in his mind.

Woody waited.

‘I’d like to share something with you but it must stay right here.’

‘Of course,’ Woody replied. He would never break this man’s confidence.

‘I wasn’t Kim’s first counsellor back when she was six years old. A woman who was nearing the end of her career and was resolute in her beliefs and practices got her first. She firmly believed that Kim needed to cry out her grief. The girl hadn’t shed a tear since the cold, dead body of her twin was ripped from her arms. She tried everything to make Kim cry because that’s what she thought the child should do. That once the tears began she would find solace in them. Didn’t matter if they were tears of grief, hurt, sadness or pain.’

‘You’re not saying the therapist hurt her?’ Woody asked, horrified.

Ted nodded. ‘Pinches and pinpricks on her arms and legs.’

‘Did Kim report it?’

Ted shook his head. ‘That’s all I’m going to say, but more importantly, I’m trying to explain that she still didn’t cry. The day she lost her brother, something died which cannot be brought back, and you can’t fix her. Kim will always equate love with loss and so will try to avoid it. That’s a choice that she has made herself, despite the help and advice of every mental health professional she’s ever met, but she now refuses to explain or justify it to anyone. To accept Kim is to accept who she is and allow her the level of contentment that she has allowed herself.’

Ted took a breath, allowing him a moment to consider everything.

‘The person that she is seeps out in spite of herself. In her passion for her job, her commitment to her team. Her fierce protection of the people she cares about. Her drive and determination to do the right thing. She is a good person and she connects as much as she is able to.’

‘I understand,’ Woody said and silently thanked God for this man who appeared to know Kim Stone better than she knew herself.

‘So, given all that I’ve said and the fact she’s never likely to change, which envelope do you want me to leave?’

There was no hesitation from Woody as he pointed and made his choice.